Shed No Tears
by cappyandpashy4ever
Summary: A curse of two centuries drags Sandy and Maxwell into a tragic tale that will put their love to the ultimate test. Can Maxwell break the curse that binds Sandy? Or will she never shed another tear again...? [SandyxMaxwell]COMPLETE
1. Story

It was a wonder that so many hamsters all fit into the small area of the town square. Though the town itself was tiny, there were many occupants. None of them, however, seemed to notice how cramped it was, for all their attentions seemed to be on a gray statue of a girl, her paws outstretched towards the sky and a peaceful expression upon her face.

At first look, you might see this as a joyous occasion. All the townspeople gathered around the beautiful statue of the young ham woman. But if you looked closer, you'd see that some of them had worried expressions. Small children were clinging to their parent's paws, and some hamsters even had crystal tears in their eyes.

And if you looked even closer, you'd see the statue. Just looking at it alone would be enough for you to understand why these people looked the way they did, heartbroken and troubled.

Though a look of calmed happiness was visible on the statue's face, a sense of lingering sadness still could be felt when if you stood by it. The girl's paw was lifted into the air, as if calling out to someone. Calling and waiting.

"This is horrible…" spoke a young housewife. "How could this have happened?"

"If she had only listened to her prophecy, she could have prevented it." Another said, this time an old man.

"Knowing the prophecy would not change what happened." The town elder spoke. "Fate cannot be altered. The decision she made may have been better, not knowing what was going to become of her. This way she didn't spend her life worrying."

Many hamsters nodded. A long silence followed, and shortly after, the inhabitants of the town, one by one, trudged back into their shabby homes.

The next day, a great snow came and no matter how long the hamsters waited, it would not stop falling. Eventually, everyone moved away.

Alone in the abandoned village, the beautiful young girl of stone was slowly covered with powdery snow…

-

-

_Two Centuries Later…_

Maxwell listened intently as the teacher spoke the words written on the blackboard.

"Today we will be discussing the legend of the Village of Eternal Snow." Spoke the teacher, waving a paw at the board. He took out a textbook and began to read.

"About two hundred years ago," he began. "The was a small village known as Celtic Hamica. The village was small, but was bustling with life. Celtic Hamica was led by the Elders, a group of hamsters that were old and wise."

"In that village, children were not common. So when a child was born, a celebration was held. The tradition was to not name the child until they were ten hamster-years old. The parents would decide the name by taking their child to an old woman in the village.

"These women were called 'Foreseers' because they gave a prophecy about the child, and came up with the appropriate name. The child was supposed to listen to the prophecy so they would know of their future and what was to come."

"But," the teacher continued. "There was on exception. The youngest elder just happened to have a daughter. When she was ten years old, he brought her to the Foreseer. But the girl ran out before she gave the prophecy, saying that she didn't want to know her future."

"For many days, the hamsters of the village talked about that girl, and how she ran out before her prophecy was given. Because she left, the girl still remained nameless. The Foreseers told the town that the girl was trouble, and so everyone should avoid her. They heeded their words and stayed away. Even her parents wouldn't talk to her. When anyone spoke of her, she was called 'The Nameless One.'"

"But she was not lonely for long, because long after that, when she was sixteen, a boy riding a noble white dog moved into the village. The boy and the girl became fast friends. She eventually fell in love with him, and they were engaged to be married."

"But right before the wedding, however, the boy was called to war, and left to fight. He promised the girl he'd be back someday. The girl waited and waited, but he never came back. Eventually, word got around that he had died in the war. But the girl didn't even look glum. She just stood at the cliff looking over the ocean by Celtic Hamica, and kept waiting. She stopped eating, and rarely spoke to anyone."

"One day, the villagers went outside to find that the girl had turned to stone. She was a statue, a calm happiness dancing in her stony eyes, and her paw outstretched towards the sky. Nobody knows why she looked so happy, or why she reached towards the sky."

"Soon after the girl turned to stone, a long and cold snow came upon Celtic Hamica. The villagers couldn't stand the harsh climate, and they all moved away. Nobody knows where the statue is now, but the village was renamed The Village of Eternal Snow. The snow was unpredictable and unusual for the area, but some think the girl's spirit is still there, waiting for her true love."

"Some people say that she made a deal with some sort of demon for eternal life so that she may wait for her beloved. Some say that she just withered away. Nobody knows for sure."

A silence fell across the room after the teacher finished. The bell rang soon after, and all the students filed out of the room to go home.

"That was some story, eh Maxwell?" Stan asked, nudging him in the ribs. "A beautiful maiden turning to stone and a village buried in snow? Sounds kinda funny to me."

"I thought it was beautiful!" Pashmina squealed. "A girl waiting for her true love…"

"Yeah." Maxwell agreed. "I liked it too."

"What did you think of it, Sandy?" Bijou asked, smiling at her friend.

"I don't know…" Sandy shrugged. "I can't shake this feeling that I've heard it before."

"I'm sure it'll wear off sometime, Sandy." Maxwell grinned shyly. "You'll just bounce back up like you always do."

"I…" Sandy's face turned red extremely fast. "Thanks, Maxwell."

"You're welcome!" he said cheerily.

_Maxwell, _Sandy thought. _I've known you for so long. But for some reason, today it feels like a whole lot longer._

"Well, I'll see you all later!" Pashmina walked off. Bijou left at the next stop, and Stan left by the soccer field for practice.

Sandy and Maxwell walked along the sidewalk.

"You know Maxwell," Sandy smiled. "The first time I met you, I thought right away that you reminded me of someone."

"Who?" Maxwell asked.

"I think…well…" Sandy thought. "I…I guess I don't really know. But you definitely remind me of someone."

Maxwell sighed. "You can be really forgetful sometimes, Sandy." But he didn't way it aggressively. He grinned and patted her on the back. This turned into a full on hug.

"Maxwell…" Sandy said, not expecting this to happen. "What are you…?"

"Sandy…" he bored into her eyes. The he closed his, and when he opened them again, his face was unusually close to Sandy's.

"What are you doing, Maxwell?" Sandy asked, looking red. "Are you like, okay?"

"Sandy I…" he scooted away. "I don't think you're like any other girl."

_No…_

"What do you…" Sandy said.

"I mean," Maxwell added. "That you're special."

_This isn't happening…_

"I've never felt for anybody else as strongly as I've felt for you, Sandy."

_It can't be happening. This isn't real…_

"Sandy I…"

_Don't say it. Don't…Please…_

"Sandy, I love you."

_No…! You didn't say anything…_

_I don't know why but, I have this feeling that…_

_You weren't supposed to love me back…_

_**You weren't supposed to love me back…**_

"Sandy?"

She opened her eyes, realizing that she must have looked troubled.

"I…no…" Sandy said. "You weren't supposed to…this isn't real…this isn't happening!"

_The pain, it's engulfing me now._

_Somehow I knew this would happen…_

"Sandy!" Maxwell yelled as she fell down to her knees. She was shaking.

I know I should be happy right now but… 

_For some reason, I feel like I've lost everything…_

"Sandy!" Maxwell called to her as her head hit the sidewalk. "Sandy! "SANDY!"

_I'm fading away. _

_Not forever but, I feel like it won't be the same when I return…_

_-_

_-_


	2. Snow

"Wake up." Said a voice unusually close to Sandy's ear. "Wake up, you lazy little…!"

"…Huh…?" Sandy shifted one eye open. She was staring into the cold, heartless eyes of a gray hamster with a black stripe down the middle of his nose.

"Good, you've risen." He said, putting his paw, which was raised to slap her, down. "Now stand on your feet! We have business to be taken care of."

"Wha…business?" Sandy murmured, shaking off the last remnants of sleep. "What are you…?"

"Of course," said the hamster maliciously. "It's only natural that you would've forgotten a long time ago. Here," he pressed his paw to her forehead. A bright light shone from his fingers and Sandy fell to the floor, rubbing her head.

"No…!" she cried, screaming out in pain. "This…this can't be real! It's not…haaaaaaa…."

Sandy calmed down.

"It all makes sense to me now." Sandy said, somewhat gravely. "I…the feeling that I felt before…this is the answer."

"Yes, yes. I'm glad you've remembered." Spoke the hamster, rather irritated. "Now, I've come to take the payment you owe me."

"Wait…it sounds familiar. Payment?" Sandy asked, rubbing her head again.

"Maybe if I recited the first part you'll remember." Spoke the other hamster to Sandy. "When true love is found in one place…"

"It shall be lost again in another…" Sandy recited as though she was reading from a book. "Why do I know that?"

"It was a promise that we made a long time ago." Said the hamster, nodding his head. "I cursed you, and in return, I granted you life until you found your true love."

"I'm still confused…" Sandy grunted. "But I think I understand a lot more now. My true love…no! It can't mean Maxwell!"

"Oh come now." Said the hamster, his yellow eyes gleaming. "Don't you remember the words that came to your mind when he confessed his love for you?"

"You weren't supposed to love me back…" Sandy said.

"Correct!" said the hamster. "And I don't suppose you'd remember my name either."

"Fuzenko." Sandy spoke plainly. "Your name's Fuzenko."

Fuzenko nodded. "Now, I don't have much time until you wake up. I have to collect what I came here for."

And with that said, Fuzenko raised his paw to her forehead a second time. This time a blue light emanated from his paw, and she fell to the ground.

"I almost feel sorry for her." Fuzenko said. "Pity she doesn't know what's to come…"

-

-

"Hmmmmm…" Sandy cracked her eye open. "M…Maxwell?"

"Sandy!" Maxwell said in a weary voice as though he hadn't spoken for a while. "You're awake, I'm so glad. How do you feel?"

Sandy thought about it for a while. She remembered Fuzenko, and she remembered Maxwell confessing his love for her. But she didn't feel anger towards Fuzenko, or love towards Maxwell. Nor did she feel happy or sad. In fact, she couldn't feel anything at all.

"Sandy?" Maxwell asked after a while. "I know why you're not speaking. You're upset about everything right?"

"No." Sandy said flatly. "I'm not upset. But I'm not happy either. I just don't feel…that's it. Fuzenko. This is what he took from me."

"Fuzenko?" Maxwell repeated. "What are you talking about? Did you have a strange dream or something?"

"Sort of." Sandy sighed.

"Oh…" Maxwell gathered her in his arms. "I'm sorry Sandy. I didn't…Sandy?"

Maxwell broke away. Sandy had a tear dripping from her eye.

"Please don't cry Sandy." Maxwell said. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

_That's odd… _Sandy thought. _I wasn't aware that I was crying._

"I don't know what this is about…" Maxwell said. "But maybe I can dig up some research on this Fuzenko guy. Please Sandy, stay here and rest."

Maxwell picked up his dictionary in his paws, and left the room with a troubled expression on his face.

_I'm not sad at all… _Sandy thought as she saw Maxwell shut the door. _But these tears won't stop falling…_

_-_

_-_

Maxwell walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the table.

"Hey Maxwell." Pashmina asked. "Is Sandy okay? I heard she fainted."

"I'm not sure." Maxwell responded. "I'm going to try and find a way to help her."

"What happened to Sandy?" Stan asked, poking his head up from under the table.

"Uh…" Maxwell stuttered. "She sort of passed out."

Stan appeared in front of Maxwell with a livid look on his face. "What did you do to my sister?!?"

"Well I…we were walking and…I sort of told her…I told her that I liked her." Maxwell said slowly.

Stan raised his paw and punched Maxwell right by his mouth. He tumbled to the ground, and tasted the blood in his mouth.

"Maxwell I…" Stan cringed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay Stan." Maxwell said, rubbing his face. "I probably deserved that. I don't know why, but something that I did, did something funny to Sandy. It's my fault, and I'm going out to set things right."

Stan beamed at Maxwell and put a paw on his shoulder. "You know, if there was anyone right for my sister, it's you Maxwell. Placing the blame on yourself like that proves it to me. I want you to know that I'm like, behind you 100 percent!"

Maxwell smiled, left the kitchen, and headed towards the front door of Sandy's house.

-

-

Madame Helen. She was the only one he could think of going to for this type of thing.

Maxwell stepped inside the tent. It was lavishly hot in the warm spring air, but he pretended to not notice the uncomfortable atmosphere as he stepped up to the small table in the center of the room.

"Ah, Maxwell!" the gypsy hamster said, today wrapped in an enormous purple shawl. "Here for a reading?"

"Actually no." he stated. "I needed some information."

"Alright." Said Madame Helen. "I'll see what I can do."

"Do you know anything about a hamster called Fuzenko?" Maxwell asked.

She thought about it before answering. "I know a little."

"Please tell me all you know!" Maxwell asked, sounding a little desperate.

"Of course," Madame Helen started. "He was a great demon taking many forms. He stayed alive by taking what he needed from others by trading them what they wanted. It was normally things like a few years off their life, their eyesight, even their emotions. He would feed off of these things and thrive."

Maxwell nodded. "Where would I find him?"

"Find him?" Madame Helen laughed. "You silly boy, he was around two hundred years ago!"

Maxwell was taken aback. "Two hundred years ago?"

"Well…" she whispered. "There is one place that has seen weird happenings lately."

And she whispered the name into his ear.

"That's it!" Maxwell said. "Thank you so much for your help."

And with that, he stepped out of the tent and into the sunshine.

-

-

Sandy couldn't fall asleep.

It was no use, she tried to close her eyes, but strange thoughts kept haunting her.

_No…_

_It's not true…_

_Maxwell can't be…_

_But didn't he…_

_Yes, he did say…_

_**He loved me…** _

_Maybe I loved him at one point…_

_Yes, I think I did…_

_I always felt so safe around him…_

_But now I can't feel anything at all._

_**Anything at all…**_

_But why?_

_Why did I love him?_

_I think it was…_

_Because he reminded me of…_

_Someone._

_But who? Who was it?_

_I think…_

_The past…_

_Fuzenko gave me my memories back._

_But it's still so blurry…_

_Maybe…_

_Maybe I don't want to remember._

_These tears, they're not real._

_But I know if I just lay here…_

_I'll never shed another tear again…_

_-_

_-_

Maxwell panted steadily. He's been walking for a long time, and he was tired. Taking a seat on a bench, he caught his breath.

He'd been walking forever, it seemed. It was almost dark. Sweat clung to his forehead. But as he wiped the beads of sweat off, he felt a cooling breeze.

No, not cooling.

Chilling.

Maxwell pulled his jacket on around him. "Wait, this means I'm getting close!"

He grabbed his backpack and ran as fast as he could.

Ten minutes later, the weather changed. It was no longer playfully sunny, but frigid. Gusts of wind blew hard and fast, nipping at his uncovered nose. He wished he had a scarf and a heavier jacket.

He couldn't run anymore, the wind was too strong. But he plunged on. His eyes were blasted with wind, and he walked with his eyes almost shut.

Suddenly, the wind stopped. He opened his eyes, and instantly shut them again, for surrounding his was a mass of white.

White?

Maxwell opened his eyes again, this time adjusting to the light. It was true, everything around him was white. Before he understood, his foot sunk into the landscape.

"Snow!" Maxwell said. "I've made it. This is it…the Village of Eternal Snow…"

-

-


	3. Tears

"Who goes there?" spoke a strong male voice from Maxwell's left.

He swerved his head around and found himself face to face with a hamster with ash gray fur. On the sides of a black stripe that dripped from his forehead to his nose, two yellow eyes gleamed.

"I asked you, who goes there?" spoke the figure again. After a minute or so, he spoke again. "Are you deaf? I'm asking for an introduction!"

"M-Maxwell!" Maxwell blurted out after a long pause. "My name's Maxwell."

The figure looked amused. "Right then, Maxwell. What business do you have here?"

"Nothing." Maxwell said instantly. "N-nothing at all!"

"Hmmph," the hamster sniffed. "I doubt that. The barrier that protects this village is strong. Only one with true intent to be here may pass."

Maxwell was silent for a minute, but then said, "I'm looking for a hamster named Fuzenko."

"Hmm," the hamster sighed with a slightly shocked look on his face. "Few know me by my real name. Unless, of course, they have met me before. Tell me, mortal, have we met before?"

"N-no." Maxwell stuttered. "But I'm glad I've found you. I need to know how to break the curse that binds Sandy!"

"Curse?" Fuzenko said lazily. "What curse might you be speaking of?"

It was Maxwell's turn to sigh. "This won't be easy." He whispered to himself. "Sandy. She's got tiger stripes."

"I think I know who you speak of." Fuzenko said, rubbing his chin. "But I knew her by another name."

"What other name?" Maxwell asked, listening intently.

"Nothing." Fuzenko said. "I knew her as the one with no name."

Maxwell looked severely puzzled. He could try to understand this later. He needed to get to the point.

"That's all fine and dandy," he said. "But I need to know how to break the curse!"

"As the saying goes," Fuzenko smirked. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I will lift the curse, but it must be replaced onto someone else."

"Me!" Maxwell cried. "Save Sandy, and in return, I'll allow you to curse me instead."

Fuzenko looked taken aback. "Why would one such as yourself put yourself forward in order to save such an ordinary girl?"

Maxwell hesitated as a blush crept up into his face. "I love her." He stated, staring into the blinding whiteness of the snow.

"I do not understand such petty mortal emotions." Fuzenko spat. "But very well. When you meet this girl again, her curse will be lifted and another curse shall be placed onto you."

"Will I end up like Sandy?" Maxwell asked.

"Who knows?" the demon smirked again. "I said another curse, not the same one as hers."

Maxwell gasped.

"Are you perhaps going back on the agreement?" Fuzenko asked.

"O-of course not!" he cried, looking slightly offended. "Sandy is the most important thing in the world to me! I won't let her continue under these circumstances."

"Fine." Fuzenko nodded. "The deal is done."

"Aren't you going to curse me?" Maxwell asked.

"Didn't you hear me earlier?" Fuzenko spoke harshly. "When you meet with this girl again, it will take effect. That's all you need to know."

Maxwell stared into the snow. He thought of a few more questions, but when he looked up, Fuzenko was gone.

He was about to begin the long walk back to Sandy's house, but something peaked his interest.

"This is it." He realized. "That fairytale the teacher told us! It really happened! Then that means…"

Maxwell looked around. Nothing but white could be seen from every angle. He scanned again, and again, and finally he saw a glint of gray amidst the mass of colorless snow.

He continued in the direction of the gray speck for a few minutes. It grew larger as he gained closeness. The object seemed to be around Maxwell's size.

He finally came up right next to the gray bit. He knew it was only a hole in the snowy blanket that covered the object. He brushed the snow aside, revealing a stone statue of a hamster girl, her eyes filled with a calm yet sad happiness, and her paws stretched up towards the sky.

"Here it is…" Maxwell breathed. "The statue of-"

A sharp intake of breath followed as Maxwell's eyes trailed upward and stared into the face of the statue.

A look of pained horror and misunderstanding crossed his face as he noticed the surprisingly familiar stripes…

-

-

When her eyes opened, all Sandy noticed was how cold it was.

She tried to pull her blanket around her, but she found that there was no blanket at all.

"I must have fallen asleep." Sandy told herself. "But this isn't where I fell asleep, was it?"

She looked around. Everything was bright white, and she felt a shivery chill pass through her body as the icy wind hit her.

"Where is this place?"

She looked around the place. There was absolutely nothing to be seen. Everything was white. But… there! Amongst the snow, far away, she saw a small speck of brown, and a glint of gray.

Sandy didn't know why, but at that second she felt like she needed to run towards what she saw. And she did, she ran. She didn't stop until the brown and gray were in view.

"Maxwell?" she called. Indeed, Maxwell was kneeling at the foot of the gray object.

Sandy raced to his side. He smiled at her, but it was a shaky, weak smile.

"Hi Sandy…" he said, his eyes teary. "Y-you never told me…"

"Told you what?" Sandy asked. In reply, Maxwell shifted his gaze towards the face of the statue.

"It's that statue from that fairytale." Sandy mouthed. "But that's…" she paused as her eyes grew wide. "That's me, isn't it?"

Maxwell nodded. "But there's s-still some things that I d-don't understand." He shuddered.

Sandy didn't know what she was doing, but the feeling inside her told her to place her paw on the side of the statue.

Instantly her head was filled with many phrases, pictures, and sounds. It was all too much to handle. She fell to the ground, crying out in pain.

_No…_

_NO!_

_This isn't real!_

_I…_

_I understand everything now._

_Everything._

_That fairytale…_

_It wasn't a fairytale after all…_

_And the nameless one…_

_Me…_

_Stop._

_This is all a bad dream._

_I'll wake up any second…_

But she wasn't dreaming. She was shaking violently.

"Maxwell?" she said. "I-I'm scared! I don't know how I can feel it, with Fuzenko and all, but I'm terribly afraid. Afraid of the truth. I finally get it, but now I wish I didn't…"

_Fear. _Maxwell thought. _She's regaining her feelings. I knew I felt weaker than before…_

Maxwell cradled her in his arms. "It's okay Sandy." He said calmly. "Tell me everything."

"I remember it now." Sandy began. "I lived in this village a long time ago. I was going to get my prophecy read, but I ran out before it could be given. The Foreseer told everyone I was possessed, and no one talked to me."

"I was truly the Nameless One. For the next six years, not one word was spoken to me. But one day, I met a boy. He was funny, and nice, and we were friends from the start. I began to like him in a way I never imagined. One day, he proposed to me, and the next day we were engaged to be married."

"But it was bad luck. He was called into battle the day before our wedding. He left me with nothing but a promise that he'd be back someday. And so, on his word, I waited. I stood on the cliff over the sea, constantly scanning the waters for the little boat that would bring him back to me. But he never came back…"

"Of course, I found out after a long time that he was killed in the war. But I didn't cry. I knew I'd meet up with him again. So I kept waiting. I remained at my spot by the sea, looking out over the blue depths. But this time, I refused to eat. I just stood there, night and day. I never left, not once. Eventually, I ran out of strength, and collapsed."

"When I awoke, it was dark. It came across to me that I had died. But then I met Fuzenko. He made a deal with me. He said that he would grant me eternal life until I met my true love. I agreed to the deal without looking for the fine print. He said, 'When true love is found in one place, it will be lost again in another.' And so, when you said you loved me, the curse took effect, and I was unable to love."

Sandy looked up at Maxwell. He had more tears now. He heart almost broke at the sight of his weeping face.

"But now," she said. "I don't know why, but I'm starting to feel again."

_So… _Maxwell thought, as he felt some energy drain from his being. _The curse…is finally lifting…_

"Maxwell…" Sandy said. "I noticed something. I wasn't able to feel it for a while, but now it's crystal clear to me now."

Sandy closed in on Maxwell and their lips met in a tragic kiss.

"I love you." Sandy smiled. "The curse took place when you said you loved me. You're my true love."

"Thank you Sandy…" he whispered, feeling the last of his strength drain. "I love you too. That's all I needed to hear from you… Now I can rest easy…"

And with that, he close his eyes.

"Maxwell?" Sandy asked. "Maxwell? This isn't funny! Open your eyes!"

Maxwell did not respond.

"No…!" Sandy whispered. "You can't…!"

Her eyes brimmed with water, and the warm tears fell down into the snow.

"More fake tears." Sandy said. "But what's this feeling eating away inside of me? It hurts! I feel worse than I've ever felt before…"

"You're sad, aren't you?" said a melodic voice from above.

Sandy looked up from the form of Maxwell. A white hamster with a shining halo and wings drifted downward and landed in the snow beside Sandy.

"I'm Harmony, tee hee!" giggled the hamster.

Sandy knew Harmony could be trusted. "Harmony, why? Fuzenko took away all my emotions, but I can feel fear, and love, and now sadness. Why?"

Harmony looked gravely down at Maxwell. "That boy's a special one, isn't he?"

"What do you mean?" sniveled Sandy.

"He made a deal with that pest, Fuzenko." Harmon responded. "He lifted the curse placed on you, and in return, he was cursed instead. He must truly care about you."

Sandy didn't try to stop the tears. "Maxwell…" she whispered. "I never wanted you to love me back. I wanted to admire you from afar, so I could still love you. And now, I'm as far away as I can get…"

Harmony snapped her fingers. "You are never truly far away from the ones you love dear!" she smiled. "This is where you come in."

With that, she raised her wings and sailed off into the sky. Sandy watched her fly away until she heard a muffled, "S-Sandy?"

"Maxwell!" she cried, flinging her arms around him. "You're alright! I'm so glad!"

He smiled up at her. "Yeah, I guess I am. But how? I thought Fuzenko cursed me."

"We had a little help." Sandy smiled.

"But this is great!" Maxwell sat up. "Now we can begin living normally! We can forget this ever happened and…" Maxwell's eyes suddenly filled with horror. "Sandy?!?"

Sandy looked down. Her small hamster body was beginning to fade. She looked at Maxwell.

"I…was afraid of this." She said. "Fuzenko said that I would have eternal life until I met my true love. But now that I've found my true love…" She trailed off with a trace of sadness in her voice.

It dawned on Maxwell what was happening. "No! This can't happen!"

"Maxwell…" Sandy said, as her body became lighter. "I won't forget you…"

And she faded away. Suddenly, a bright light shone around the statue. Maxwell shut his eyes. When he opening them, the statue had changed.

The statue's stone eyes were closed now, and a smiled hung from her stone lips. Her paws were folded up across her heart.

Maxwell's tears faded into a sad smile. "I won't forget you either Sandy."

And the snow continued to fall as Maxwell walked away. And like the last time, the statue was covered with powdery white snow…

-

-

Monday came.

Maxwell entered the classroom with the best smile he could muster. He knew it would be hard to explain to everyone about Sandy.

He walked to the teacher's desk.

"Um, teacher?" he said. "About Sandy and the reason she isn't here today…"

"Sandy?" the teacher said. "I don't remember ever having a student named Sandy."

Maxwell looked confused. He walked up to Stan.

"Hey Stan, you remember Sandy right?"

"Who?" he asked.

"Your twin sister Sandy!" Maxwell cried desperately.

"Sister!" Stan laughed heartily. "That's a good one Maxwell."

"You have a very active imagination, Max." Pashmina stated. "But save it for your oral report. We were supposed to do a report on what we did over the weekend, remember?"

Maxwell nodded. He should have expected this. He opened his case and pulled out a stack of paper.

When it was his turn, he walked up to the front of the class.

"This weekend," he spoke. "I visited the Village of Eternal Snow."

"Oh, that fairytale place that we learned about a while ago!" Stan called. "It's real?"

"Yes," Maxwell responded. "Entirely real. And so is the story about the Nameless One."

He pulled out a picture and passed it around the room.

"This is that statue." Stan commented again. "The one of that girl."

"Hey! She looks a little like you, Stan!" Boss joked.

"It looks different though…" Pashmina noted. "The picture of the one in the textbook looked sort of sad, like she was waiting for something…"

Maxwell just nodded. "Well she certainly doesn't look sad." He said. And silently, he added to himself, "And she definitely found what she was waiting for…"

-

-

**End**


End file.
